How to Use originate in a Sentence

originate

verb
  • The sound seemed to originate from outside the room.
  • He did not originate the idea.
  • The book originated as a series of lectures.
  • The custom is believed to have originated in the western U.S.
  • The policy was originated by the previous administration.
  • These stories originated during earlier times.
  • The waves that surfers ride originate in distant storms far across the ocean.
    — Sally Warner, The Conversation, 3 Dec. 2020
  • Teams just don’t know where the blitz will originate from, or who will be blitzing.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2025
  • Many of the strikes appear to originate from the area around the power plant.
    — Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Where did the Group 7 trend originate?
    — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The spell originated from a witch who turned swans into girls.
    — Allegra Goodman, The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2024
  • That said, the group and its members don’t shy away from topics that originate on dry land.
    — Leslie Garrett, Good Housekeeping, 23 Aug. 2021
  • The state agency didn’t say from where the tip originated.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
  • Where did tres leches cake originate?
    — Martha Stewart, 1 Feb. 2026
  • The ministry didn’t say where the drones originated from.
    — Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 10 May 2026
  • For quakes that originate very close to your location, the system won’t be much help.
    — Sandi Doughton, Anchorage Daily News, 3 May 2021
  • Tax bills must originate in the House but the Senate didn’t want to wait to act.
    — Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 11 June 2024
  • The group originates from Brooklyn and formed while the members were in high school.
    — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
  • While everything originates in the brain, this wasn’t a problem in her brain.
    — Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2023
  • The Fed is buying 95% of those loans from banks that originate them.
    — Nick Timiraos, WSJ, 29 Dec. 2020
  • The term coleslaw originates from the Dutch word koosla (kool for cabbage and sla for salad).
    — Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 12 May 2023
  • The word originates from the Arabic word sikka, which means coins.
    — Sarah Bahari, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
  • Sandy, rocky soil and extreme heat will never phase ice plant, which originates from Africa.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 18 Apr. 2026
  • All but one of those flights originated from Atlanta.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
  • And you'd be shocked to know that a whole lot of those companies originate in China.
    — CBS News, 8 Mar. 2023
  • The event opened with a dabke performance, a folk dance that originated in the region.
    — Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 25 Oct. 2023
  • But the hottest topic seemed to be one that didn’t originate in Washington at all.
    — Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2023
  • It’s named after pearls, which are the oldest precious stone and the only one that originates in the sea.
    — The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 July 2023
  • The fire appears to have originated from the back of the home, firefighters say.
    — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Worn through two world wars and on the silver screen, the leather jacket first originated as safety gear.
    — Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 2 Mar. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'originate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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